One thing I've been thinking about recently is Mitya's conection to The Grand Inquisitor. I said it before while I was reading and now I'll say it again, but he kinda of does represent the man the Inquisitor was talking about. We see constantly that he wants and wishes to do good but always comes too short of actually doing it. But the curious thing is that he also seems unable to do anything truly horrendous (e.g. patricide). He seems to pulled by both sides to ever fully commit to any but still embodies the full scope of the human's capabilitty to do both good (being ready to let Grushenyka go with her previous, bowing to Katya) and bad (the whole 3000 rubles deal, general lifestyle). He has in him both the ideal of Sodom and Madonna
And I'll forever be lamenting Dostoevsky dying before writing TBK 2 bc I think the conclusion to his story arc would've been very important for the Grand Inquisitor bc as it stands now, Mitya is sentenced even tough he's inoccent and more importnantly, he chooses to escape rather than take the punishment. He acknowledges his blame, but still chooses not to take the punishment after all. It might seem to confirm that the Inqusitor was right and that man are too weak to come to God on their own but I think that, also, at least for the story as it is now, it doesn't necessarily have to be true
As I see it, we have both ways to think about Mitya's chooice in the context of the Grand Inq. One is the one where he forsook his punishment, yes he is not guilty of patricide, but he does carry the guilt for it, as does Ivan. He, in the moral spiritual sense, isn't inoccent. And we have what Zosima said, that everyone is guilty for everyone's sins. So Mitya taking the punishment would've been taking on everyone's sins on himself and suffering for them. But he doesn't. In one word, he is too weak to do it. Too weak to seek salvation trough that and reedem himself. Seems to prove the Inquisitor right?
But on the other hand, we have the very ending of the Grand Inq., the kiss. Alyosha seems to think Mitya too, isn't ready for such a grand punishment. And that points us to the kiss. Love is the answear. We see that Mitya's love for Grushenyka is the one thing that brings out the good in him. He plans to go to America and there work and lead an honest life with her all the while suffering for his past. Plans on their love to be their saving grace, for both of them. And him choosing that would be him commiting to what Zosima said, to participating in the active love, painful and arduous as it may be, but an ultimetely good path
And I think that ultimately, whether Mitya would've turned out to be a better person or not would've either confirmed or denied the Inquisitor. If he still went to America and nothing changed or he and Grushenyka fell off or anything of that sort, the final message would've been that yes, humans are too weak to ever achieve salvation, that they always run away for the easier solution, that they can never help themselves or be truly good. But if he did become a better man, if he suffered and came out of it good and capable of love, then, as I see it, we would've had the kiss and Zosima prevail
I am quite possibly rambling nonsense and bulshitting or missing the point (if so feel more than free to tell me or jsut in general share your opinion), but yes, here are my thoughts
